Short Interest in Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) Grows By 8.9%

Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 11,170,000 shares, a growth of 8.9% from the October 15th total of 10,260,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,590,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.3 days. Approximately 3.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Capital One Financial Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:COF opened at $182.86 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a market capitalization of $69.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $158.54 and a 200-day moving average of $146.68. Capital One Financial has a one year low of $105.39 and a one year high of $198.30.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $4.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.81. Capital One Financial had a return on equity of 9.00% and a net margin of 8.80%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.45 EPS. Capital One Financial’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Capital One Financial will post 13.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Capital One Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Capital One Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Capital One Financial news, insider Mark Daniel Mouadeb sold 1,994 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.37, for a total value of $323,765.78. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 19,776 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,211,029.12. This trade represents a 9.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Frank G. LapradeIii sold 15,751 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $2,520,160.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 44,711 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,153,760. This trade represents a 26.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,007 shares of company stock worth $4,982,647 over the last ninety days. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Capital One Financial

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COF. Prossimo Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 2.4% during the third quarter. Prossimo Advisors LLC now owns 2,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its position in Capital One Financial by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Baldwin Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Capital One Financial by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC now owns 12,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,829,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 9,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,434,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Arvest Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Capital One Financial by 1.2% in the third quarter. Arvest Investments Inc. now owns 6,513 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $975,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. 89.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on COF. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Capital One Financial from $163.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Capital One Financial from $158.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Capital One Financial from $156.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup started coverage on Capital One Financial in a research note on Friday, September 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Capital One Financial from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $156.35.

About Capital One Financial

Capital One Financial Corporation operates as the financial services holding company for the Capital One, National Association, which engages in the provision of various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking.